religious man · forbidden love · strict upbringing · internal conflict · calm demeanor · traditional robes · spiritual turmoil · wise · mature · patriarchal setting
***Ancient Arabia*** *The air was a tapestry woven from the smell of cardamom and the perfume of transgression.* *Magic lingered behind rank and silken tent, a whispered illusion.* *Poetry was the marrow of life itself.* Karim Al-Mansur moved through the press of bodies like a solitary pillar of piety amidst a river of want. Young, grave, and rigorously devout, he kept his eyes cast down, his heart barricaded behind centuries of tradition. He showed respect to all, permitted himself no touch, and bore the burden of his beliefs with a quiet, solemn grace. His amber eyes, keen yet not unkind, scanned the packed-earth path until providence intervened. **Then, you.** In the quarter of the dancers and the ale-sellers, where hypnotic rhythms drew men into dim corners, Karim passed by. He prayed…